With Kaberle, Pitkanen, McBain, Joslin, Harrison, Allen, and Gleason all under contract, he'd have to come in and really set the world on fire to make the team. Unless one of Kaberle or Pitkanen suffer a season ending hang-nail before the season starts, he'll probably be back with the Rangers.
but what are the expectations for Skinner this year?
Was he working in the off season with Gary Roberts again like he did last year?
He was working with Roberts again this offseason. He's got a ridiculous drive to get better, he's not going to be content with the season he had last year. He wants to get better, and it shows.
That being said, I think that the sophomore slump will sort of negate the extra work that he's put in this offseason. I'd expect similar numbers to last year, a 30-30 sort of year...
He was working with Roberts again this offseason. He's got a ridiculous drive to get better, he's not going to be content with the season he had last year. He wants to get better, and it shows.
That being said, I think that the sophomore slump will sort of negate the extra work that he's put in this offseason. I'd expect similar numbers to last year, a 30-30 sort of year...
gotcha, that is sort of what I figured.
Would you call his competitive drive Crosby-esque? Because clearly Sid has top of the food chain competitive drive.
Skinner is a tough one for me to figure out with respect to the sophmore slump. 1 part of me says it's like Major league hitters learning the books on a young pitcher. Fool me once, sure....but a few months later and the hitters have a better scouting report.
On one hand, the above could be a contributing factor into Skinner having the sophmore slump. On the other hand though, you've got a player like Eric Lindros, where if it wasn't for the concussions, their was no way to stop him. Sophmore be damned. Scouting be damned. The guy just went through you, and couldn't be stopped.
Because of Skinner's lower body strength, unique skating style, and willingness to navigate the high traffic areas, I think there is chance he will simply build on last season and turn 63 points into 70-75 points-ish.
Also to consider, is that for an 18 year old, wide eyed rookie...not only was Skinner very level headed, but remarkably consistent from Game 1 through Game 82.
Any where between 30 and 50 would be my guess. It all depends on whether or not he gets significant time with Skinner and Ruutu.
I would agree with that. They're going to give him every opportunity for a top 6 role but it remains to be seen whether or not he'll run with it. Haven't seen anything terribly exciting yet
All I've heard was this, from the Canes website, on Saturday: Tuomo Ruutu has a minor lower-body injury, and did not skate today. “There’s really nothing with that," Maurice said.
What do you think are chances that Bowman sticks? And if he does, what do you think he'll produce?
Thanks
Based on his performance in camp I'd say he's got a good shot at playing >50% of the season here. But won't produce squat, partly due to his playing style and partly due to our lineup dynamics.
I would agree with that. They're going to give him every opportunity for a top 6 role but it remains to be seen whether or not he'll run with it. Haven't seen anything terribly exciting yet
Has he gotten much ice time during pre-season games / is he playing RW alongside SKinner and Ruutu as predicted?
Has he gotten much ice time during pre-season games / is he playing RW alongside SKinner and Ruutu as predicted?
Dalpe has been playing mostly with Tlusty and Sutter while Stewart has been with Skinner and Ruutu but I think many expect that to change. Dalpe looked good last night scoring a goal, but so did nearly the entire team
Thanks Anton. I'll have to keep an eye out. I didn't expect to hear he's been playing out of the Top 6 but he is young so not totally unexpected. Is it correct that Gleason is slated for Top 4 this year? Does he have the skillset to improve his offensive numbers, assuming he gets that role?
Gleason will be part of the Top 4 all season. Pitkanen – Gleason is the top pairing going into the regular season. The coaching staff seems committed to playing him on the right side, so even if the “shutdown pair” doesn’t work out, he’ll be with Kaberle on the 1st/2nd pairing.
Gleason is a pretty good skater and has a “big shot,” as Tripp Tracy likes to say. Unfortunately, that shot is not all that accurate. 5 goals is his career high and I don’t expect him to exceed that. Furthermore, he’s no Martin Skoula. Gleason was bad at the point of the PP last season (not getting shots through, fumbling pucks, etc.) and that performance will hopefully keep him away from that position this season. Don’t get me wrong, Tim’s fantasy outlook isn’t as bleak as it seems. I could see him setting a career high in points due to who he’s going to be playing behind and besides. More importantly, it’s a contract year.
Like SlickRick said, Gleason can skate pretty well, and has a surprisingly good shot, but never hits anything but the boards, and has pretty bad hockey sense. A bunch of us called him Drunk Gleason last season because he always seemed lost on the ice. The skill is definitely there though, just check out this goal he scored a while back
